


Ace in the Hole

by AlphieCentauri



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, M/M, Multi, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 00:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10797531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphieCentauri/pseuds/AlphieCentauri
Summary: Morgana calls him Ace.He thinks it's a funny little comparison to Joker, but he thinks it works well for the Phansites creator.Mishima has so much more to offer then Phantom Thieves, and Morgana's hell bent on proving it.Especially after Mishima winds up following them into the Metaverse. Seems like he's got more potential than anyone ever realized. Now if only they could do something to wake that power up.(Phantom Thief Mishima AU, First Person POV)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello.  
> I have had this idea since the game started and I was very sad to find he did not get a Persona. I'm here to change that.
> 
> Please be advised this story will contain spoilers for the game.  
> I would apologize for writing in first person for this, but it's kind of hard to grasp Mishima's perspective for me in the third person. I feel his voice much more strongly from a first person POV. I do apologize, however, for the excessive dialog, but it seems to be effective for this kind of story telling.
> 
> And yes. Mishima is heavily crushing on Akira. I'm trying to avoid using the name Akira for the protag, but we'll see how long that lasts.

I don’t want him to worry about it.  
  
It’s not like it’s that big of a deal. I don’t intervene. I don’t get in anyone’s way. I only ever wanted to watch.  
  
It started when I heard a voice that didn’t belong to him. It was coming from his bag – that cat he always snuck into school. The cat was talking to him, and I couldn’t believe it. Thinking about it now, it wasn’t too long after I had felt a part of me change. I’d stopped wanting to use the Phantom Thieves for my own gain, and remembered the bigger picture of it all. Could someone with a changed heart experience what I had?  
  
It was Kaneshiro’s “palace” that I first ended up following them all into. It wasn’t on purpose. I’d just been trying to check the Phansite when my phone showed me a new app. I hadn’t even opened it, and somehow, it recorded the words of the Thieves nearby while I was coming out of the bookstore. It was hard to describe what had happened. Everything warped. Colors changed. Reality seemed to melt in and out of design. I’m not much of one for art, but as it was happening, I could only think of that painting by Salvador Dali with the melting clocks.  
  
There were no people around. Just the Phantom Thieves. Decked in their full costumes. That cat looked closer to a kid wearing a cat costume instead. I’d ducked inside of the bookstore and counted faces – I did know them. Most of them. He was there, Sakamoto-kun, Ann-chan, and. . .Student President Niijima Makoto? Unlike the others she was still in our school uniform. As I listened, it appeared she was not among the Phantom Thieves. Not in the slightest. (Of course, this would change, as I learned from sticking around).  
  
I only watched for a while. Lurking behind them as they tried to interact with the people of Shibuya. Hardly people. They were all. . ATMs. Walking about, sputtering lines about money and struggle. As I listened (eavesdropped, really) I picked it up. These were what Kaneshiro, that mafioso, saw people as. Not people. Not individuals. Money dispensing machines for his own gain.  
  
I wanted to jump out, to yell my support for the Phantom Thieves. Tell them I was rooting for them. But.  
  
Was I even supposed to be here? Was I supposed to be helping them from this close of a distance? I didn’t belong here. I knew from him all that he could easily explain about this Metaverse place, Palaces, all that. I tried to understand. And from what I did know, my revealing myself would only be a risky move.  
  
And I didn’t know how to leave!

I remember hearing something once, about staying closer to dangerous situations meant the safer you could be. I didn’t know how true that could be, staying by the Phantom Thieves (particularly when I didn’t want to get caught interfering!) But, if I stayed close, I would be near the best people who could keep me safe should something happen. Right?  
  
They all were anxiously searching through Shibuya, and I continued to sneak behind, ducking behind vending machines or into alleys. Doing whatever I could to stay out of sight. It was like I was a Phantom Thief of my own variety!  
  
Time here didn’t seem to make sense. None of it. I couldn’t tell if I’d been there five minutes, or five hours (I’d later find out it had only been an hour or so), but I heard one of them – it was an unfamiliar voice, most likely that cat kid. “There’s nothing more we can do right now, let’s head back.”  
  
And reality began to warp, and I began to experience yet another painting like experience before I found myself sitting on the steps outside Big Bang Burger, practically looking him right in the eye. I offered a wave. He smiled, returned the gesture.  
  
I tried not to think much of it, or I’d probably get my hopes up.  
  
(I don’t need something else to get bullied for).

 

* * *

 

 

I wait for them to disperse, but it’s not happening right away. I could always make it seem like I’m waiting for someone. It’s not like it’s unheard of me. I could always run up to them, as if any of them are busy and want to grab something to eat. But it would make it all the more obvious that I had followed them.  
  
Shock hadn’t quite set in yet. So I sat there, waiting until he comes up to me.  
  
“You busy?” he asks, as Sakamoto calls after him saying he’d see him tomorrow.  
  
I look up, a bit surprised he’s asked me. He was just in the Metaverse place, wasn’t he tired? I sure was, and I hadn’t even done anything!

“Huh? But –“ I look around, trying to spot that cat kid again, but instead I notice the fuzzy black head of the _actual_ cat pop out from his bag.

“Are you _really_ going to spend time with him now? We gotta get home!” I hear him say. He reaches back and pushes the cats head down, shoving him into his school bag. If I hadn’t been so sure that cat was that sort of kid looking thing, I’d be calling animal abuse!  
  
“No, no!” I answered, looking around a bit hesitantly. “I’d have thought you’d wanna go home after spending time with your other friends?”

“Like you’re not my friend?” He smirks at me, and it hits me after a moment that he means this. I had gotten so used to people just, seeing me as someone they could use as an emotional support, but not the other way around.  
  
“Hey, thanks.” I murmur, still finding myself smiling more than I had expected to. “But, no, no. I’m not busy. I was just looking for a couple books on web design earlier to help with the Phansite, but there’s nothing I don’t already know.”

“You should make an app,” he says, gesturing at me. “Pick. Diner or out to Akihabara to a maid café. I know you like ‘em.”  
  
I’m surprised by the suggestion, and end up sputtering. “I-I think I’m good on the maids for a while! I’d prefer some with a little more dexterity than the clumsy ones! I’ll stick with the diner today!”  
  
“Cool, ‘cause I want some of that FruiTea. I’m really thirsty.” He smiles, and then I remember – so am I.  
  
It’s not that I _like_ him like that or anything. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s the case. I just happen to know that, he actually saw me as someone. Not just that shitty volleyball player that Kamoshida sent as his messenger. Not just the class representative with bruises who let everyone push him around. He seemed legitimately pleased to be around me. Maybe because…after Sakamoto, I was the first one to really befriend him. Maybe he needed a normal friend. Someone who wasn’t actually a Phantom Thief. A normal friend who he could spend time with like a normal kid.  
  
And well, he was my normal friend too. As normal as he could be, I suppose.  
  
Do I like him? Yes. Do I have feelings for him? Er, well. I’m not sure. I can’t say I’m opposed to it. But I’ve got enough on my plate right now, without figuring out where my attractions lie. School, the Phansite, the state of Japan as it is, social life – I think I’m pretty emotionally exhausted. Who I’m attracted to can wait til I have time and energy to spare.

 

As we sit, I expect to be confronted. I expect him to say “Shut down the Phansite. You know too much. We’ll change your heart if you follow us again.” But it’s nothing of the sort. We talk about school, he asks me why I’m not in any cultural or science clubs, despite having a knack for computers. He mentions that a computer club would be a great place for me. I remind him that volleyball ate up all my time, and now that we’re so far into the year it would be embarrassing to join a club this late.  
  
He seems kind of disappointed, but sips some of his tea (He seems to be enjoying it at least). He says after a minute or so that a Phantom Thieves fanclub would be funny for me to set up. I remind him that the Phansite’s enough for me. Besides, there’s that one third year that keeps telling everyone he’s a Phantom Thief. He’d probably ruin it for everyone.

“So what else do you do after school now?” He asks me after a few moments of silence. “Do you just work on the site?”

“Sometimes I go to the gym,” I add. “I’m still not the most athletic guy, but it doesn’t hurt to work out a little bit to get my strength up. I can run a mile pretty quickly now, it used to be a real chore for me.”

“You should spend some time with Ryuji then,” he suggests, using his straw to push about an ice cube in his glass. “He always has me working out with him – the Track team’s apparently getting started up again, so maybe that might be good for you. Though,” He trails off a moment. “One of the teachers who was sucking up to Kamoshida’s going to be fronting it, so you might wanna keep your eyes open for that.”

I purse my lips, shrugging a bit, picking at a stray French fry that left itself on my plate. “I think…I might have had enough athletic clubs for the time being, but I don’t think I’d mind doing stuff with Sakamoto –“

“I’m pretty sure you’re okay to call him Ryuji.”

“Right. Ryuji.” I correct myself. “But, don’t you think, I don’t know I’m worried –“

“He’s not a bad guy. You know this. And if you’re worried about his reputation, don’t. You’ve got a good enough one that if anything, I think you’d probably make him look better. Particularly because you put up with Kamoshida’s shit like you did. A good kid like you, who endured for his school?” He begins to laugh. “People might look at you and Ryuji spending time together and think ‘Wow, that boy’s gone through so much and he’s even reforming Sakamoto!’ could be pretty funny to watch as everyone’s opinions changes like that.”

I offer him a smile. “Changing hearts even without stealing them, huh?” I mention. “You know, it really doesn’t matter what anyone might have said about you. You really do have your eye out for changing people for the best. You’re kind of selfless, you know.”  
  
“Good thing you say that, ‘cause I had intended on making you pay today.”

“I take it back! Not selfless at all! I’m broke! I just spent the last of my money on a new coding book!”  
  
“I thought you said none of those books had anything new for you!” He interjects, rather suddenly. And before we know it, we’re sort of joke arguing in the diner.  
  
I eventually concede and use some of my emergency money to pay for us. Man, am I glad he just had tea.

 

* * *

 

 

I decide to hang out in Shibuya a bit longer after we part ways, I’ve got some digging to do. Mostly more eavesdropping. On other people. So I can get the dish on others thoughts on the Phantom Thieves. I like to keep the site updated with new discussion topics to keep it all from going stale.  
  
But I’m not there for long before a familiar voice catches my attention.  
  
“Hey, we need to talk. Assuming you can hear me, that is.”

I turn around, and at my feet, is the cat. Just the cat. Nothing extraordinary about him. His tail flicks about (I remember hearing that when a cats tail flicks, it’s an indication of being friendly). I try to pretend I’m only just hearing a voice for the first time. “N-No way . . . That didn’t come from you –“  
  
“Cut the act, I know you’ve been able to hear me.” The cat repeats. “Come with me, to the alley by the airsoft shop. We gotta talk.”

He saunters past me and I let him get ahead of me. I should’ve known my act wouldn’t fool anyone. So I follow suit and watch as he hops up on the seat of an abandoned bicycle, sitting with his tail curled around himself.

“So, you…figured it out, huh?”  
  
“Not much to figure out.” He says, lifting a paw and licking it momentarily. “You followed us in today somehow. You can hear me. And now you know that Joker’s not making anything up.”  
  
“Well I knew before he wouldn’t be making this stuff up. Kamoshida’s change of heart was all I needed for proof.”

“That’s fair,” the cat says. “So you probably know my name’s Morgana then. And I’ve known you since the start so I think we can skip the introductions and jump right to the serious part.”

“Serious part? What? That I saw the Metaverse?” I ask, pulling up a stack of milk crates and sitting down on them.

“More like, what you _know_ about the Metaverse. Was that your first time?” He lowers his paw finally and lays out on the seat.

“Huh? Yeah. I don’t even know how it happened. I just went to check the Phansite and there was this app there –“

“So you might be able to awaken something in you too.” Morgana comments. “That could be really useful…We could always use extra hands –“

“Whoa, whoa – you’re not inviting me to join you, are you? Wait, does he know?”

“Well, you _do_ run our fanclub, you might as well be one of us already. And no, I don’t think he does. And if he does, he’s not saying anything. Probably for your safety. Chances are, if you can access a palace at a time like this, you’re slated to be another victim. And knowing your circumstances, I hardly think you want to be lined up as a two-time recipient of the Metaverses games.”

“So what are you _saying_ then?” I ask finally as I let Morgana explain himself. “Are you telling me you want me to jump in on this and steal hearts too, because it’s bad enough I can’t figure out how I feel about the guy.”

“If you can’t figure that out, I’ll tell you instead – you have a crush on him, and that’s a-okay. But what _I’m_ saying, is I want to get you used to the Metaverse. In case you _do_ awaken to something, we can call on you for a little help. Not that I think we’ll need it, but having the help _there_ is nice.”

“And by used to –“

“Come on, Mishima! Use your head! I know you’re smarter than this! I’m taking you there! It’s a whole different world in the Metaverse, and I want you to know what it’s like in case we ever gotta call for backup! Come on, think about it! The admin behind the Phantom Thieves Aficionado website getting a first hand look at what Palaces and Mementos is like? You’ll be better able to help us fulfill request, and you could provide us with better support! Think about it!”

“I. . .don’t know.” I say after thinking it over for a moment. “I don’t think I’m really up for something that intense. I’ve already got a lot going on and I think just running the site is enough for me.”

“I don’t usually say this, but _please_. Give it a shot. Let me take you into Mementos before everyone goes after Kaneshiros palace. Just once. Just so I can see if you have the potential to wake something up. I promise, if you get uncomfortable we can go right away! Thieves honor!”

Morgana is insistent. And it still hadn’t fully registered in my head that I was talking to a cat. A cat that seemed to know more about the world than I did. I get that I’m a teenager and I shouldn’t know too much, but this was a bit intense. I sigh, hands resting in my lap as I purse my lips.  
  
“Let me think about it, alright? Give me until after school tomorrow okay?”

“You got it, Ace!”

“Ace?” I ask, brow raised.

“Yeah, I already thought of your code name if you decide to help us! Ace, like an Ace in the Hole! I thought it sounded pretty cool with our leader being Joker and all.”

Ace.  
  
I kind of like the sound of that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! More positive of a response for this fic than I had expected! Thank you so much for your support everyone!  
> I hope people are getting my description of Mishima's heist design for this, and tbh, I would love if people drew him in this outfit! Just sayiiiiing! <3

School the next day is an absolute nightmare. I had made up my mind before I had even gotten home that I was going to take Morgana up on his offer. The days events hadn’t sunk in and it took until I was finishing up my homework for me to sit upright in my chair and loudly yell, “I’M GOING TO BE A PHANTOM THIEF!” before realizing I might have woken my mom up. I certainly scared my dog downstairs, since she started barking like crazy!  
  
I can hardly focus in class. My eyes keep drifting over to him and the small flick of a tail that I know is Morgana, sticking out from in his desk. Now and then I see Morgana’s head peek out, and I fashion a wave. However, my wave gets intercepted by Yuuichi-kun next to me and he just awkwardly waves back, and asks me what I want. Stupid!  
  
It’s only when class ends for the day that I hear Morgana say to him “I’ll let you and Lady Ann have your fun getting coffee, I found me an old lady who gets _me_ sushi! And only me!” He hops out of the bag and on to the open window sill and jumps out – geez, I hope he has something easy to land on!  
  
“Hey Mishima, wanna come with us?” Takamaki calls out to me, waving a bit. She knows I know about them, so maybe her inviting me along is her way of maybe helping them not stick out as much. Or maybe she doesn’t want people to think they’re on a date? I don’t know, it’s not my business – I’ve got some of my own to attend to!

“Thank you, but, “ I begin, hoisting my school bag on to my shoulder. “I promised my mom I’d help her with some chores today! Now that I’ve got free time again, she’s trying to keep me in shape by giving me house work.”

Takamaki makes a ‘boo’ noise and shrugs as the both of them leave through the front class doors, giving me the opportunity to leave through the back ones. I hope they don’t follow me.

The one plus side about the entire school knowing I was Kamoshida’s main punching bag, is that no one really bothers me anymore. People see me walk past and know not to get in my way or say anything that might put me on edge. A lot of the faculty see me coming and avert their eyes. They know what was going on, and they didn’t intervene. They’re ashamed to live with the guilt that teenagers – no, kids! – were being beaten right under their noses and they didn’t once think to stop it.  
  
No one bothers me anymore. If Shiho-chan was here, she wouldn’t be getting bothered either. We were both in the same boat, but in the end, she faced it harder than I did. I text her pretty often since she began to recover, and she seems to be in high spirits knowing that things have improved here. She’s still transferring high schools, and it’s for the best. I’ve been considering it myself.  
  
Maybe I should join Takamaki sometime when she goes to visit her.

“Took you long enough,” I hear Morgana’s voice somewhere by my feet when I slip past the school gates and he jumps up on to the fence. “Open your bag. I can’t get on the train without being hidden.”  
  
“Huh?” I ask, sliding my bag off my shoulder and unzipping it for him to climb inside. “Sorry about all the junk. I don’t get to clean it out too often, uh – where are we going.”

“It’s called Mementos.” He says as he pushes aside loose pens and erasers with his paw. “It’s where we usually go when you send us requests from the forum.”

“. . .Meman Toes?” I stumble over the word, knowing I said it know. “What’s that?”

“Mementos!” Morgana says again. “So, I should. . .probably better explain palaces to you then, huh? I guess you picked up on some of it when you followed us the other day –“

“Just so you know, that wasn’t on purpose. I was just trying to look at books.” I interject quickly. I don’t want him to think I’m some kind of stalker!

“I believe you.” Morgana says as he settles down, letting me zip the bag up. “Lady Ann followed us too. So did Yusuke, apparently. I think that’s just how it happens. People around us eventually get stuck with the Metaverse app and follow us in on accident.”

“Yusuke’s that fox looking guy, I’m guessing?”

“Yeah, and fox, actually, is what we call him in the Metaverse. So. Good observation – you’ll make a great addition to the team! You’re way smarter than Ryuji already!” Morgana laughs a bit, his head sticking out of the bag. “Come on, we gotta get to Shibuya, and I can explain about palaces on the way.”  


* * *

   
A palace, as Morgana explained to me. Is kind of like an alternate reality. Where everything is pretty much the same, but it’s all viewed in the way that the owner of the palace sees it. Apparently, Kamoshida saw the world as a kingdom, where the volleyball team were all his slaves. And he got to torture and kill us every day, and to use us as he saw fit. Hardly a stretch from reality, but when you add in the effects of the Metaverse. It becomes much more twisted. I could only really imagine how it became more twisted. But, I wouldn’t put it past him. Futhermore, he saw all the girls team as these sexual objects, and had this super promiscuous version of Takamaki hanging off his arm all the time.

  
Sick bastard. He deserved exactly what the Phantom Thieves did to him!

From what Morgana told me, palaces were different from person to person, the most recent one, that Madarame guy, his was an art gallery where he was being treated as something of a god. I wouldn’t know how true it was, but from what Morgana said, Yusuke could attest to the realism of it all. And as for where I had been the other day? That was the outside of Kaneshiro’s palace, the leader of some local branch of the mafia. Who I guess has been using Shujin students as drug traffickers. I knew something was going on in Shibuya! I knew it!  
  
“Mementos,” Morgana says as he pops his head back out for some air. “Is kind of like the palace of everyone. Everyone’s perceptions of reality are influenced in Mementos. It’s why shadows of people on the message board show up down there.”

“And shadows are the distorted versions of real people, right?” I ask as I quickly cover his head so someone doesn’t think there’s a real animal in my bag.

“Right, boy am I glad you’re smart.” Morgana says as he settles down. “So we’re going to Mementos, the collective palace of society. We uh,” He seems to mumble something. “Went there once, ‘cause of you. Now, don’t get shocked. But you have a shadow down there, we probably won’t encounter it or anything. But if we do, just don’t get spooked on me.”

“Does everyone have one down there?”  
  
“Not sure. You’re the only person we actually know that we’ve run into. But I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I’m just taking you down there to see if something wakes up in you.” Morgana ends up peeking his head out again. “Oh, this next one’s us – don’t go running off anywhere when we get off. We can access Mementos right here in the station. So you better be ready!”

 

 

“WHY AM I DRESSED LIKE THIS?!” Are the first words that come out of my mouth after the entirety of reality melts into this bizarre, fleshy looking version of the Shibuya station. I’m not sure when or how it happened, but I’m hardly in my school uniform anymore.  It’s like some sort of western period costume for a detective movie! Over my shoulders is a rather light weight, brown cape of sorts, hanging down only to about my belt line. It’s got this fancy chain keeping it on my shoulders, just covering this swanky looking gold vest and ascot combination. It’s kind of a mess, really! And don’t get me started on the pants! They’re not even pants, really! They’re these kind of puffy shorts looking things with. . .Dress boots? Do they even make men’s dress boots anymore? And then! And THEN to make it all worse, I’m wearing not only a deerstalker, but there’s this bandit-y looking mask stuck to my face.

“Not too shabby!” Morgana observes, examining me as he’s once more looking like that kid-cat thing. “Not the worst costume I’ve seen on someone!”

“I look like the Dread Pirate Roberts!” I blurt out starting to pull at the mask on my face.

“Nah, more like Sherlock Holmes.” Morgana points out. “You’re just missing a pipe – ooh! I bet we could find one down here!”

“No thank you! Geez, how do I get this thing off. It’s like it’s glued on?!”  
  
“I wouldn’t fuss with it too much.” Morgana says as he starts to walk through the gates that are still remaining from before the subway vanished on us. “If you don’t have the potential, you’re just going to tear your skin off and I don’t think even Joker’d be into you then.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, rather hotly as I make my way after him. “Both parts! The tearing skin off and him being into me!”

“Exactly what it sounds like, Ace.” Morgana huffs. “If you can’t summon a Persona, you’re just gonna tear that mask off and all your skin along with it. Well, more like, if you’re not able to conjure your rebellious spirit or something. If you’re not ready or able to, you’re just gonna hurt yourself. It’s kind of like life. Don’t force yourself to do something if you’re not ready, or something like that.”

“You mean I can get hurt in here?”

“Uh, yeah?” Morgana turns back to look at me, legitimately surprised at my question. “Come on, Ace. I have high hopes for you, don’t play dumb with me. I told you. There are shadows down here. They’ll attack you if you get in your way. That’s why I’m here. To keep you safe if I need to. I know what I’m doing, so don’t worry, alright?”

“What do I do if they attack me?” It’s a stupid question, I realize this as soon as the words come out of my mouth.

“You try to fight back, obviously!” Morgana announces. “I mean, I’ll do most of the work since I don’t know if you can do much like you are. If we need to, I’ll just transform and get you out of here.”

“Transform? What? Can you turn into like, a person or something?”

“I am a person! I’m just, kind of stuck like this right now – but yes. I can transform. . .” His expression falls, and his ears flatten rather unhappily. “Into a van. . .” He looks. . .actually embarrassed by that.

“No way, that’s so cool! I’d like to see that sometime! And you as a person!” I find myself to be a lot more excited than I realized I’d be, and Morgana perks up a little. He smiles and suddenly he’s acting really confident again.

“I knew I liked you, now come on! I’m gonna just keep you to this floor for now, see if anything wakes things up in you, but if not, don’t worry! I totally believe you’ve got something inside you, and we’ll come back if we gotta!”

 

Nothing woke up. I just spent the afternoon following Morgana around, watching as he summoned this super cool looking spirit named Zorro and caused large gusts of wind to go coursing through Mementos. We were attacked a couple times, mostly by these strange little floating Jack O’Lanterns, and pixie looking monsters but it wasn’t anything too bad, at least Morgana said so.

It kind of surprised me how quickly I had gotten adjusted to this. Maybe it was because I’d found myself daydreaming about what sort of world the Phantom Thieves were entering to change hearts and make the world better. And I guess, Mementos was only a fraction of what I had imagined. It wasn’t as fearsome or horrifying as I believed. But, maybe this was only the surface of it all. Maybe things were really scary the lower down they went here.  
  
Morgana had mentioned that the source to all his memories of being a human laid in this place somewhere. And if the source of that was in here, who knows what else lay in store?!

So Morgana and I sat back at the beginning of Mementos as I stared up at what I assumed was the ceiling as it was too dark for me to make out the details. Morgana sat next to me, munching on what I’m pretty sure was the rest of my granola bar from my school bag.

“So, you didn’t wake anything up this time, but I don’t think you need to push yourself over it. If it happens it happens, but we do know that Mementos sees you as a threat.” He crunches on the snack again and swallows it.

“How do you know that?” I ask, starting to rummage in my bag for my bottle of water from earlier in the day. “It’s not like it told you anything, did it?”

“Well, your clothes changed. That’s a surefire way of telling that someone is a threat in the Metaverse. And you are, as it would turn out!” He seems awful proud of that! “But I wouldn’t think too hard about it. If some power awakens in you, great, if not, also great.”

“Do you think I could really be of help?” I ask, having found my water and opening it up to take a much deserved gulp from it.

“Sure, we need all the help we can get. But in your case. . .I was thinking you could handle the requests on the site. Well, the small fries at least. Like the boyfriends who could be nicer to his girlfriend. Or the teacher who doesn’t like a certain student. The little things. That way you can leave the palaces to us, and the Phantom Thieves still get the credit.”

“So, the Admin really would be the one calling the shots on the Phansite the, huh?” I smile a little. Seems like a cool idea.

“Exactly. And if we need you in a palace, we’ll call on you.” Morgana then stands up and stretches out. “Come on, let’s head back. This was your first time really exploring the Metaverse, so I bet you’re pretty beat.”

 

* * *

As we begin to leave the Metaverse, something dawns on me as Morgana climbs back into my bag. “Hey,” I begin, zipping the bag just enough so he can sit comfortably. “. . .How come it saw me as a threat this time? It didn’t when I got stuck in here the other day.”  
  
“Hmm,” Morgana’s cat shoulders give a faint shrug. “Must have picked up that you’re our ally, probably. Mementos is kind of all knowing, might have sensed that you run our fanclub and shook it’s head and said ‘That kid’s no good.’ And singled you out.”

I hoist the bag up on my shoulder and it hits me how drained I am. I never realized entering another dimension would be so tiresome! “Man, that’s irritating. Wish I could just kind of wander in and just check it out without all that costume nonsense.”

I bring Morgana on to the next train headed out of Shibuya, and he instructs me to open the bag when we reach Yongen Jaya station so he can hop out. Thankfully I live only one stop past there so it’s easy for me to just ride directly past the station after Morgana says his farewells.

 

When I get home, I can hardly focus on my school work, let alone dinner. Mom looks at me, sort of confused and clears my plate before I can tell her I’m too tired. I pick at my rice for a minute before she stands behind me and brushes my hair back to feel my forehead.

“You’re still not doing too well, are you?” she asks quietly as I offer her a smile.

My mom knew about what Kamoshida had done to me. She knew all of it, but she never quite blamed me. Our family was never able to give a lot of money to the school, so her complaints about my treatment often fell on deaf ears. We donated what we could to the school, but. It wasn’t really enough. There had been once instance, I remembered, where Kamoshida told me if my mom paid up more, I wouldn’t have to endure this much longer. I don’t even want to think about whether he meant money or something else when he talked about my mom paying.  
  
“I’m alright mom,” I say as I stand up to help her clear the table.

“Yuuki, you have a fever.” She says as she withdraws her hand. “Are you sure you’re alright?” I enter the kitchen and remove a lunchbox for my uneaten food. I’ll have this tomorrow so it doesn’t go to waste.

“I’m probably just working too hard, I had a long day after all.” Mom doesn’t look convinced, but she’s the sort who knows not to press when I insist. Instead she just smiles at me, and looks me over a few times.

“That last bruise is gone.” She says as she puts her hand to the side of my face. “And so is the last of the physical hurt.”

I offer mom a soft smile and lean down to hug her a moment. “I’m glad you said ‘physical’, mom.” I reply, heaving a sigh. “We should. . .probably talk about me transferring next year.”

“Whenever you’re ready. I talked with Natsuko, Shiho-chan’s mother. I found out where she’ll be attending if you were interested in joining her. The school is offering to take a number of Shujin students who need a fresh start.” It’s good to hear that there’s headway being made.

“I’ll keep that in mind, mom. Thanks.” I step around her, and gesture toward the stairs. “I’m gonna head up, I gotta finish my math homework before I fall asleep.”

 

I lied about doing homework. Instead. I sit at my computer for a while, mostly staring at the Phansite. I take a few minutes to delete some hateful or crude comments and then look at the question for a moment.  
  
I put the page down for maintenance momentarily and type something in for the new question. I won’t keep it up for long: Would You Become a Phantom Thief if it Meant Helping Their Cause?

I sit there for a short while, examining my question. No votes yet, and it would be a while before I had anything. I replay my conversations with Morgana in my head, and think about my very first adventure into Mementos.  
  
I’m the first person to click Yes.


End file.
